INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
JANUARY 31, 2014
Master’s date with destiny
by James Trotter
Saturday is J&B Met (SAf-G1) day at Kenilworth in South Africa. For two weeks, the
streetlights of Cape Town have been flying the red letters “J&B” adorned upon yellow flags,
signifying that the city’s biggest horse race is upon us.
Originating in 1883 as the Metropolitan
Mile, the “Met” heralds the honor of being South Africa’s longest-standing sports sponsorship
through the alignment with the Scotch whiskey brand stretching back 37 years to 1977. In
the same way that the Durban July (SAf-G1) has in South Africa’s winter, the J&B Met has
transcended the sport into becoming one of the country’s biggest social occasions, with over
50,000 people pouring through the gates of Kenilworth Racecourse
in most years.
The race’s honor roll is glittering with greats of
the South African turf, including Horses of the Year Yard-Arm,
Empress Club, Wolf Power, London News,
eight-time champion sire Foveros and the unforgettable Horse
Chestnut, who defied history to become the first three-year-old to
win the race in over 50 years, coming home eight lengths clear of
the opposition.
In recent years, Pocket Power became a household
name as the only horse to win the race on three occasions,
losing out on his fourth when going down by a length to his full sister,
River Jetez, in 2010. This year sees a paternal half-brother to those two victors, the
powerfully named Master of My Fate (Jet Master), currently atop the betting. The
beautifully bred son of six-time champion sire Jet Master is out of Promisefrommyheart (Elliodor), a dual Group 1 winner and champion herself who is
a half-sister to the
dam of 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Pluck (More Than Ready).
A lightly raced four-year-old,
Master of My Fate began his career less than a year ago after being kept off the
racetrack by injury. Since then, however, only a narrow defeat on debut has stopped him, as he has
since gone six races undefeated, taking each new challenge and rise in class in his stride.
He comes into the race off two impressive victories in Group 2 company against a number of
the opposition facing him on Saturday, however, this is his first try at the Group 1
level.
Trainer Dennis Drier admits that “this is his biggest test to date, but” — referring also to
Majorca S. (SAf-G1) favorite Beach Beauty (Dynasty) –“both horses couldn’t be better, and
haven’t put a foot wrong since coming to Cape Town. (Master of My Fate) passed his
previous two tests with flying colors, and we are hoping he will do it again
here.”
Rivaling Master of My Fate in the betting is long-term
ante-post favorite Jackson (Dynasty). The three-time Group 1 winner carries the
reputation of being the highest-rated horse currently in training in South Africa, so
unlike the race favorite, he is accustomed to competing at this level. Favored last year for this
race, Jackson comes into this year’s edition off two second-place finishes in the Diadem S.
(SAf-G2) over 1200 meters and Queen’s Plate (SAf-G1) over a mile three weeks ago. The J&B Met
would be considered his optimum distance, as he has won two Group 1s over the trip,
including a course-and-distance victory two years ago on Met day in the Cape Derby
(SAf-G1). Jackson is still
the last horse to have beaten dual Horse of the Year Variety Club.
Though Jackson has lost market support since losing the
Queen’s Plate, his vanquisher, Capetown Noir (Western Winter),
earned a new legion of followers. Heralded as the “best miler in the
country” by jockey Karl Neisius after his Queen’s Plate victory,
Capetown Noir can also count a Group 1 course-and-distance victory to his
credit in his Cape Derby win a year ago. Two of his wins at the highest
level have, however, been over a mile, and there have been questions
as to whether he will be as effective over the 2000 meters.
Trainer Dean Kannemeyer dismisses the concerns, stating “there are no
stamina doubts,” pointing to the colt’s Derby victory and his
narrow loss in the Daily News 2000 (SAf-G1), also over Saturday’s trip.
The field also comprises three additional Group 1
winners, namely SA Derby (SAf-G1) winner Wylie Hall (Redoutes Choice),
recent Summer Cup (SAf-G1) winner Yorker (Jet Master), and the
only filly in the race, Do You Remember (Silvano).
Add
into the mix fast-finishing Queen’s Plate third Jet Explorer (Jet Master) and fourth-placed No Worries (Kahal)
as well as
consistent Group 1 performer Whiteline Fever (Right Approach), Charity Mile
(SAf-G2) winner Royal Zulu Warrior (Mossman) and last year’s Met runner up Hill Fifty Four
(Captain Al), and the potential for a mighty battle begins to develop.
As Drier perhaps poignantly added about Master of My Fate “it is now in the
lap of the gods.”
Jackson’s trainer, Brett Crawford, sends
out the odds-on favorite Captain America (Captain Al) for the Cape Derby
(SAf-G1) earlier on the Saturday card at Kenilworth.
The three-year-old colt reeled
off five consecutive victories before going down by a head to stablemate Elusive Gold (Sail From Seattle) in the second of the Cape’s
classics — the Cape Guineas (SAf-G1). On that day, he set down into a stretch duel and eventually
gained the upper hand on the much-vaunted Red Ray, but did not
have enough to retaliate to the late challenge of the winner.
Though unquestionably a
classy animal, there must be some concern over his stamina, his sire Captain Al being a
strong influence of precocity and speed in South Africa. That shouldn’t, however, be a concern for
second favorite Power King (Silvano), who represents the same jockey and trainer
combination as last year’s Cape Derby winner, Capetown Noir (Western Winter).
Dean Kannemeyer’s colt has been a few
lengths short in his two prior starts in graded company, finishing fifth in both
the Selangor
Cup (SAf-G2) and Cape Guineas. Both those attempts were over a mile, however, and he is
sure to relish the increase in trip of the Derby.
With not one of the horses having tried 2000
meters before, the race has an unpredictable feel to it, especially if the two favorites
fail. The only other horse trading at single figures is the lightly raced Helderburg
Blue (Jet Master). The sale-topping yearling of the Cape Premier Yearling Sale
at R2.8 million ($250,813) in 2012 has only had four starts and came off two
victories before failing while heavily fancied in his prep for this race. It
certainly wouldn’t be a shock to see the colt regain his reputation here.
In addition to sending out Master of My Fate in the Met, Drier will also saddle the favorite for the Majorca S.
(SAf-G1) — South African champion older mare Beach Beauty (Dynasty).
Though the Met would be the big prize of the day, a win for Beach Beauty would be the
sentimental one. Her ability and bravery have made the filly of The Shanks Syndicate a
favorite amongst the stable and with the public. A triple Group 1
winner, the diminutive filly has stood hands above all other
fillies in the country, having dominated the division for almost two
years. Her only losses have come when tried against the best colts in
the country.
This will be her first time competing in this race
after her connections chose in the last two years to take a shot at
the Met. Coming fresh off a 1 1/4-length victory in the Maine
Chance Paddock S. (SAf-G1) three weeks ago against much of the same
opposition, she understandably comes into this race a short-priced
favorite. However, a strong field lines up to face her.
Mike de Kock sends out two British imports
—
second favorite Espumanti (Dansili), a Group 2 winner over this distance in her
penultimate start, and Welwitschia (Oasis Dream), a Group 1-winning sprinter who is
the second-highest rated filly in the field.
The biggest threat, however, may come from the three-year-old In The Fast
Lane (Jet Master). The Cape Fillies Guineas (SAf-G1) winner lost her first start
in four when a fast-finishing second behind Beach Beauty in the Paddock S.
(SAf-G1), and the young filly looks to have a bright future.